Plasma's Folly: One-Shot Collection
by Ahnyo
Summary: A compilation of short pieces that provide further insight on certain characters and events in "Plasma's Folly". Some stories may contain spoilers for the main fanfiction.


**[Author's note: **_**This one-shot takes place three days after "Metamorphosis", though it may be read as soon as "Chrysalis" is completed**_**.]**

Swiping its tongue around its narrow jaws, Krookodile hungrily eyed Brian as he hauled a massive sack up to its pen. "Great Arceus," the sandy-haired boy huffed, exhaustedly dropping his hands to his knees as he let the bag sag to the ground. Casting his Pokémon a scornful glance, he scoffed, "I should really consider putting you on a diet. This stuff isn't exactly cheap. We could easily make it last a little longer if I started giving you smaller portions." Gripping the opposite sides of the sack, Brian tore it open. "Besides, you're getting a bit tubby."

Krookodile gaped angrily and let out a venomous hiss. Defiantly crossing its arms, it turned its back to its owner. Rolling his eyes, Brian scolded, "Oh, knock it off. You're spoiled, you know that? You're living a life of luxury! You don't have to battle or stay cooped up in a Poké Ball or anything: all you ever do is laze around and play with Stoutland. C'mon, you can afford to do without those big meals."

Unlike his younger brother, Brian had no interest in taking part in the Official Gym Challenge. He readily accepted that he wasn't set out to be a strategist, but his desire to work with Pokémon led to him assuming the role of a breeder. He took up residence in a small apartment in Striaton City, where he cared for his Pokémon and bred them in hopes of producing offspring with valuable traits. His main source of revenue was from selling these selectively bred Pokémon to families with children who planned on becoming trainers, or anyone looking to purchase a special addition to his or her team. He aspired to save up enough money to buy a larger plot of land better suited to his career choice; his apartment granted him little space to work with, which made his job exceptionally challenging at times. Brian didn't mind that his life lacked a certain quality of adventure; he was perfectly content with the occupation he had chosen for himself.

The breeder unhinged the gate to Krookodile's pen and stepped inside. He grabbed an empty dish that had been lying on the floor and shoved it into the sack, scooping up enough dry pellets to fill it halfway. After he set the dish back onto the ground, he stepped over to Krookodile and gave it a pat on the head. "Try to cheer up, okay? You're acting like I'm never going to feed you again! If you stop pouting and turn around, you'll see that I just filled your bowl." The Intimidation Pokémon turned its nose up in response.

Sighing, Brian trudged out of the pen. As he reached for the lock mechanism on the gate, he was suddenly interrupted by a loud ringing noise. "Aw, drat," he spat crossly as he instinctively dropped his gaze to his forearm. To his surprise, his C-Gear wasn't there. _I must've taken it off when I was washing my hands and forgot to put it back on._ He hurried into the bathroom, and surely enough he found his C-Gear resting on the counter. Slapping the watch-like device onto his wrist, he swiftly opened the Xtransceiver function. The boy, who had been expecting to be greeted by a potential customer, was startled to see an image of his mother pop onto the screen.

"Mom?" An uncomfortable feeling spread over Brian as he looked her up and down. The camera was shaky, but from what he could tell, she was frazzled. Her light brown hair was tangled and unkempt, and creases under her eyes denoted that she hadn't been sleeping well. To see her so far from her usual cheer disposition set off an alarm in the boy's brain: something must have been wrong.

His mother sucked in a nervous breath, cradling her trembling arms. "Have you spoken to your brother lately?"

Brian blinked, taken aback. "No. Is there a problem?" The last time he had said anything to Colby was when he wrote him the letter packaged with his birthday present. How could he have spoken to him? He didn't have his number registered on his C-Gear. _He doesn't even have a C-Gear. Then again, his birthday was a few days ago, and it's practically a requirement for trainers to have C-Gears._

"We made sure he had more than enough money to purchase a C-Gear, and we told him to buy one as soon as he could. He promised to give us a call when he got it." His mother let out a muffled sob. "It's been three days since he turned ten, and we still haven't gotten a call. Your father is speaking with the police right now. I know you never gave Colby your number, but I thought it would be worth a try."

He felt a knot tighten in his stomach. There certainly was something strange going on: Brian couldn't imagine Colby rebelling against his parents and ignoring their instructions. Colby had always been a very compliant child—in fact, his brother thought he was _too_ eager to follow others' orders. He never protested if his friends bossed him around on the playground, which allowed them to easily take advantage of him. This submissive attitude worried Brian slightly; he'd never say it to his face, but he didn't think Colby was ideal trainer material. It was as if he had decided to follow that path just because he wanted to conform to what society considered the norm. _He'd be much better off as a breeder like me._

His mother's teary eyes made it obvious that she had been going through the same thoughts. She was well aware that she'd get nothing out of talking to her older son, but her reluctance to accept that something might have happened to Colby drove her to do anything she could think of. Brian couldn't bring himself to remind her of what was very likely the truth, nor did he want to dwell on the possibility. "I'm sure he's fine," Brian said, trying his best to hide his uncertainty. "Maybe he just forgot to buy a C-Gear? He _was_ super excited about starting his Pokémon journey. He'll probably remember when he runs into another trainer with a C-Gear."

"I knew I should've reminded him again before he left," Brian's mother murmured with little conviction. "That's not the only thing that has me worried. There have been numerous reports of missing children lately; far too many for it to be a coincidence. There must be a kidnapper on the loose. It disgusts me to think that someone could be preying on those whose Pokémon aren't strong enough to defend them yet." She abruptly spun away from the view of the camera, sniffling uncontrollably. "How could… anyone even consider doing that to… my little boy?"

Brian bit his quivering lip, his heart growing heavy. It hurt him to see his mother reduced to such a state of despair, but he was having difficulty taking in what she was saying. Everything felt unreal, especially since he was having the information thrown at him instead of seeing it with his own eyes. She was volleying so many words full of frightening meaning that he struggled to register any of it. _My brother might be gone,_ he realized, overwhelmed. _I could never see him again. _The breeder attempted to relax his tense muscles, rationalizing his frenzied thoughts.

"Mom," he spoke in a somewhat assertive tone, "this might come off as a bit harsh, but maybe… maybe you should just let it go. Colby's not a baby anymore. Now that he's a Pokémon trainer, he gets to choose what and what not to do. You can't try to get so involved in his life; he has the right to make his own decisions. He might be too busy to give you a call, or maybe he just doesn't want to—and there's nothing wrong with that. He knows what kind of people to stay away from. You watch too much TV, Mom. You're getting stressed out over something you don't know for sure. You said Dad was talking to the cops, so if something did happen to him, they'll take care of it. Come on, Mom. Have some faith."

Brian's mother brought the camera back to her face, her reddened eyes squeezed into a pained expression. "Damn it, Brian!" she wailed, unable to restrain her burst of rage. "You don't know anything about what it's like to be a parent! I gave birth to that child! I dedicated ten years of my life to showering him in affection and making sure he turned out all right! I spent so many sleepless nights worrying about him and his future! How dare you tell me I should "just let it go"! Colby will always be my baby, and it's my job to be there for him!"

Aghast, the breeder stood with his mouth hanging open. It was incredibly off-putting to hear his mother yell, especially since he felt like she wasn't acting like herself to begin with. Before Brian had the chance to even think about formulating a response, his C-Gear's screen went black. His heart sank. _No, no!_ Brian cried silently, too shocked to put down his arm. _I didn't want that to happen! I just wanted Mom to calm down, but all I did is make everything worse. _

Brian forced himself to leave the bathroom and stumbled down the hall as if he were in a daze. Krookodile, who had escaped from its open pen, had its face buried in the unguarded sack of Pokémon food. The gluttonous creature lifted its head and seemed to flash a taunting smile at the boy, but to its dismay he wordlessly walked past it. Krookodile dejectedly stuck its snout back into the bag and resumed stuffing itself.

Colby's brother miserably threw himself into an armchair before tucking himself into a ball and burying his face in his lap. _I'm her son, too. But the way she acted… she didn't even say "I love you". _His mother's words hurt him nearly as much as his hurt her. _What's wrong with me? I should've kept my stupid mouth shut. My little brother's gone missing, and all I can do is make my mom upset. Arceus… what if something really did happen to Colby? Please tell me he's okay… he has to be okay._


End file.
